Mueller Recommends No Jail Time For Michael Flynn, Who Provided ‘Substantial Assistance’ To Russia Probe

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Tuesday effectively recommended that Michael Flynn receive no prison time for lying to the FBI, citing the former national security advisor’s “substantial assistance” in the Russia probe and other Department of Justice (DOJ) cases.

“Given the defendant’s substantial assistance and other considerations set forth below, a sentence at the low end of the guideline range — including a sentence that does not impose a term of incarceration — is appropriate and warranted,” Mueller wrote in a court filing submitted Tuesday night.

Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, met with the special counsel’s office or other prosecutors in the DOJ 19 times since pleading guilty Dec. 1, 2017, the highly-anticipated court filing reveals.

Flynn acknowledged in the guilty plea to making false statements to the FBI about his conversations in December 2016 with Sergey Kislyak, who then served as Russia’s ambassador to the U.S.

He admitted to falsely claiming in a Jan. 24, 2017, interview at the White House that in a Dec. 29, 2016, phone conversation with Kislyak, the topic of sanctions against the Russian government were not discussed.

Flynn also lied by denying that on Dec. 22, 2016, he asked Kislyak to delay a vote on a UN Security Council resolution related to Israel.

He will be sentenced in the case Dec. 18.

Mueller’s filing is redacted in key parts, allowing little insight into what information Flynn has provided prosecutors. But the document states that Flynn has provided “substantial assistance” to an investigation that appears to be separate from Mueller’s probe into possible collusion between the Russian government and Trump team.

Flynn admitted in his plea agreement last year that he gave false statements regarding his work on behalf of the Turkish government. Flynn signed a $600,000 contract in August 2016 with a Turkish businessman linked to the Turkish government. As part of the work, Flynn wrote an op-ed for The Hill on Nov. 8, 2016 calling for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based imam who is critical of Turkey’s president.

Flynn falsely claimed that he wrote the op-ed on his own accord. He worked closely with his lobbying client, Ekim Alptekin, on the article, which was first exposed by The Daily Caller. Flynn’s guilty plea did not include charges for making false statements about his lobbying work, though his plea agreement precluded him from being charged with crimes related to his Turkish lobbying activity.

Flynn also provided “firsthand information” about “the content and context” of interactions between the Trump transition team and Russian government officials, Mueller’s team said. The nature of Flynn’s information is unclear because those sections of the Mueller filing are heavily redacted.

In addition to Flynn’s extensive cooperation, Mueller noted Flynn’s “exemplary” military record. But he also said that Flynn’s extensive government service “should have made him particularly aware of the harm caused by providing false information to the government, as well as the rules governing work performed on behalf of a foreign government.”

Prosecutors said that Flynn’s cooperation was useful largely because of the “timeliness” of it. The former Defense Intelligence Agency director began cooperating shortly after being approached by the special counsel, prosecutors revealed. Flynn’s early assistance likely influenced other firsthand witnesses to be forthcoming and cooperate with Mueller’s team.

Flynn will be the second Trump associate to be sentenced in the Mueller investigation. George Papadopoulos, a former campaign aide, was sentenced to 14 days in prison Sept. 7 for lying to the FBI about his contacts during the campaign with a Maltese professor he believed had links to the Russian government.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]

What's Your Reaction?

What’s Your Reaction?

5 Comments

Flynn was NEVER guilty of any crime. And it was patently obvious he was the victim of a perjury trap and the only reason he pleaded guilty was because Muller was threatening to go after his son. The American people are getting sick and tired of the double standard for Democrats and Republicans. Charges should be dropped against Flynn, and he is owed an apology (not to mention compensation for the fortune he was forced to spend defending himself against false allegations).

That’s just a face-saving excuse for Mueller, who knows DAMNED WELL he RAILROADED Flynn and ruined his life for NO REASON, because he knows if he tries to send him to prison, Pres. Trump would likely pardon him! Mueller also knows that m ost people KNOW what a HATCHET job he and his witch hunters did on Michael Flynn and don’t want their dirty deeds to be OUTED in public, as they surely WOULD be, if Pres. Trump pardoned Flynn!

Flynn was doing his job in protecting The US not so secret agenda, concerning pipelines through Afghanistan, Syria and the Ukraine. Gulen has been wanted by The President of Turkey for a while. He knows too much for the US to turn him over and would spill the beans. Mr. Flynn was caught in an ongoing game protecting US foreign Policy which was his duty. Brave Man who fell on the sword for his country. He has been shamed and bankrupt still, he’s kept his mouth shut. Mueller knows all of this has nothing to do with Mr. Trump.

First General Flynn’s investigation like all other investigations to date have not contributed a whit to a Russian probe because there is nothing to find.
General Flynn is an American hero. The intent to get him served two purposes. Only one is discussed here, he is first and foremost the victim of DNC partisanship corrupting the American political and justice system and constipating much needed reform to root out the stagnation of a government out of control and consumed by its own interests and greed. Lets not forget that the Clinton’s are possibly the two greatest exemplars of greed who have ever been pushed forward by the DNC.
What should be equally troublesome is why General Flynn was attacked and if it simply came down to doing business in and with Russians. Doing business with Russians only seems to be a crime if engaged in by Republicans that has never troubled the DNC, even when Sanders took a literal honeymoon with his new bride in the former Soviet and developed deep ties with them. Sanders own facts were never explored we are just supposed to pretend Sanders reinvention of himself and other socialist fiction. And the whole Clinton uranium issue.
General Flynn was perhaps the only officer in the Obama sharia compliant administration that still named Iran as America’s principle enemy in the world. We should wonder if a gigantic defense package such as was passed this year (With near unanimity in the House, why were the Demos on board?) would have been necessary if Iran had remained the number one enemy of the USA instead of the shift to a bigger Army facing Russia or China. The second and perhaps from the DNCs perspective the less forgivable General Flynn was not afraid to to cite Islam as an influence in the camps of the Jihadis, in an era of stupidity when Obama was actively punishing and urging the military and DOJ of anyone who acknowledged the existence of “radical Islam”.
The entire issue may in fact be a red herring to get General Flynn for making unintentional false statements when in fact they went after him for his ability to see the big picture and putting Iran and Islam in proper perspective. Who stood to gain the most by removing General Flynn a bonafide American hero from the position of NSA?

Frank, another factor may be because they recognize their BLATANT hypocrisy, after all their ongoing efforts to shield Hillary Clinton from prosecution for her MANY occasions of blatantly lying to the FBI–which are well known and well documented–are recognized by ALL Americans who have been paying attention, and they fear repercussions if they persist in their efforts to DESTROY Michael Flynn for the “sin” of refusing to lie and give them dirt they could use to “get” Trump, after letting Hillary skate away SCOT-FREE!